I’m going to take a wild guess that you’re one of the hundreds (ok, thousands) of moms who love Made Good Granola Minis and Made Good Granola Bars. What’s there not to love?
Made Good has done a great job-solving snack problems for parents—it’s free of allergens (dairy, nut, peanut, egg, sesame-free, etc.), school-friendly, and healthier than most packaged snacks. The hidden serving of vegetables is a bonus, especially for parents with “picky eaters”.
That’s why I’m a little giddy about this homemade alternative—my successful attempt at a Made Good Granola Minis Recipe (Chocolate Banana flavour). Otherwise known as the “Poor Mom’s” version or “wannabes”.
I don’t keep many packaged treats around because 90% of the time we keep things simple with snacks: essentially mini-meals with lots of whole foods.
The other 10% of the time we will keep things even simpler and I’ll invest in pre-packaged snacks. That’s when Made Good Granola Minis make it into my cart and my girls start gushing over those bite-sized granola balls.
I’ve always been a big saver except when it comes to food. With all the organic, local, grass-fed, farmer’s market products on my list, grocery bills get expensive. So, I’m trying to streamline spending a bit and cut back on the non-necessities.
At about $5 a box, Made Good Granola Bars and Minis had to go.
As they came off my shopping list, I started to envision a homemade replacement and the recipe experimentation started this weekend.
My girls were the guinea pigs and I recorded their reaction live after their first bite of my “Poor Moms” Made Good Granola Minis recipe. Thankfully my eldest uttered the words “I like it mommy” (completely unsolicited and in her underwear) as I aired live in my private Facebook Group for Moms.
This homemade Made Good Granola Bites recipe is not an exact replica, but it’s close enough. In fact, I’d say it’s better! Softer and easier to chew with less added sugar (just 1 tablespoon of honey in 30+ minis). Oh and cheaper too!
Made Good Granola Minis Recipe (chocolate banana)
Made Good Granola Minis
- 1.5 cup oats (large flake)
- 1-2 bananas ((add extra banana if batter seems dry))
- 1/4 cup coconut (shredded)
- 1/4 cup carob powder or cacao powder
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp tapioca flour (coconut flour works)
- 1 scoop powdered greens ((optional))
- sea salt (few shakes)
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Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
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Mash banana and mix in wet ingredients.
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Add wet to dry ingredients and mix well.
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Roll into bite-sized balls by squeezing the dough into the palm of your hand or into a small spoon.
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Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Try it and let me know how you like it!
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These look super yummy. Going to try making them but wondered, is there a substitute for tapioca flour? It’s not something I ever stock. Could I use coconut flour for instance ? Thanks Danielle.
Yes! Others have tried coconut flour, rice flour, almond flour, etc. and it works well:)
Do you use a greens powder specifically for kids or just something that’s straight greens without any herbs?
What could you use instead of coconut- I’m allergic why I love the made good bars what could be used instead?? Thoughts
How long can you keep the granola in air tight container?
I am so incredibly excited! I’m allergic to nuts, peanuts and seeds and was starting to lose hope of finding a suitable granola recipe. Thanks so much! Going to make a batch right now 🙂
I’m excited for you! Let me know what you think Jenn 🙂
Making another batch right now! lol These are a hit with my 2 year old and his friends. My only modification is I only use 1/8 cup cocoa. Thanks, Danielle 🙂
Forgot to mention that I really like them too.
Glad you like them Jenn!
All of the ingredients in your recipe are things I usually have on hand and I’m so excited to make these for my kids! Just one question: your recipe calls for an optional “1 scoop powdered greens” – what is the actual measurement?
Wonderful! Let me know how it goes.
How would you modify this to made the mixed berry balls? My son loves everything blueberry, we love the minis but can’t find a recipe like it
Has anyone tried adding peanut butter to the recipe? I found they were a little hard to roll into balls as they were a bit dry.. was wondering if peanut butter would be a nice addition for texture and flavour?
Just checking if you have tried???
Will try them today for my kids. Thanks for the recipe
We tried making these because my 4yr son LOVES the “chocolate balls” but they are breaking my bank. Alas, these were not a hit. We followed the recipe, and ended up baking for longer because they were still too soft or raw compared with the toasty-like texture of the originals. Our end product was very dry. When we popped ’em in our mouths they were dry at first but then turned really pasty. He shared them with a few of my young 8yr-10yr old students and they liked them for the first few seconds then had a gross out when it pastified in their mouths. I will continue to munch on them despite that because there is something about them…probably the cocoa…that keeps me coming back 🙂 I’ll be sure to have a tall glass of water to wash them down!
It seems like the oats might need to be soaked in the liquids and more oil could help with the dryness. Perhaps another half banana? I was thinking of going to trader joe’s to pick up some dried bananas to chop up and add for more chewiness. I’m not giving up hope!
I’m sorry they didn’t turn out for you! The size of the banana can definitely factor in so go bigger / more if needed!
Can you do a version of this for their mixed berry version?
I’ll put this on my list of recipes to experiment with!
Any ideas on how to make the apple cinnamon ones ? Please my son is breaking the bank with his made good addiction!
Do you have a recipe for any other flavors?
My daughter tried the made good granola bites on a play date we went and asked me to make them, I found your recipe and gave it a try and they turned out amazing! She loves them! I skipped the super greens powder since I didn’t have any but they are sure a hit! Thank you
They are the perfect play date snack! Glad they were a hit 🙂
We love this recipe! I make them for my son who likes to have a healthy homemade snack for school and home. He eats them as fast as I bake them!